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Eugene once again ranks high for livability

Eugene remains one of the best cities in the country in which to live, but it may be slipping from the top, according to Livability.com.

The online magazine on Monday released its second annual ranking of the nation’s top 100 cities for 2015, with Eugene ranking 20th. However, Eugene was ranked ninth best for 2014.

But Eugene was again the highest ranking municipality in Oregon, which accounted for six cities on the list.

More than 2,000 small to mid size cities — those with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 — were rated on 40 criteria that were then grouped into eight categories: economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care.

The website said it looked at such things as access to resources, affordability and whether a city’s residents were making the most of their opportunities.

The magazine’s editor, Matt Carmichael, said that while Eugene dropped in the rankings from a year ago, it’s nothing to worry about.

“I think enough evolved with the methodology this year that it’s not entirely apples-to-apples to last year’s ranking,” Carmichael said in a phone interview. “We didn’t want it to look completely different, but when you look at more than 2,000 cities, anyone in the top 100 would be getting an ‘A.’”

Since last year, the rating formula has seen a few tweaks. Specifically, researchers wanted to add more variables about health care and look at how the proximity to institutions such as hospitals and universities affected residents’ quality of life.

Eugene was 28th overall for the magazine’s health care ranking and 56th overall in the infrastructure category.

The magazine said on its website that it created some new variables, including a measure of racial and ethnic diversity, and a look at the diversity of housing stock.

Eugene ranked 81st in the magazine’s demographic category, which measures community diversity in terms of income, education and race and ethnicity.

The top city was Madison, Wis., which is both that state’s capital and the home of the University of Wisconsin. Those credentials helped Madison snag the top spot because of its ability to attract “talent, research investment, jobs and a fresh influx of new residents,” the magazine said.

Among the top 20 cities, Eugene had the second lowest median household income, the highest unemployment rate and the second highest percentage of people living below the poverty line, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

But the city’s outdoor recreation opportunities, health-conscious citizens who often walk or bike to work, and status as the home of the University of Oregon all helped keep Eugene toward the top of the list.

Eugene city spokeswoman Jan Bohman said the city is glad to add another top finish to its resume.

“I think it’s great,” Bohman said. “These things vary depending on who is doing the rating, but this is a reputable organization, so I think it is an acknowledgment that we can be proud of.”

In the past, Eugene has received accolades from various organizations for top finishes in best biking- and pedestrian-friendly cities; best place to retire; and best spot (No. 1!) for sustainability. Bohman said those rankings help the city attract conferences and community events, and often help local businesses attract employees.

“We’re seeing a lot of conversations (about improvement) happening in cities,” Carmichael said, “and anything we at Livability can do to reward cities that are doing well and foster those conversations within cities, the better we will all be.”